The time is upon us: Nintendo’s Wii U console launches tomorrow (or rather, tonight at several midnight launch events) in North America. We’ve created a Wii U launch guide for our readers out there, with information and details about everything you need to know to get ready for the launch.
Games
The Wii U will launch with 23 retail games and 7 indie titles. You can check out the complete list of Wii U launch games , but here are some of the most anticipated ones:
- New Super Mario Bros U
- ZombiU
- Nintendo Land
- Call of Duty Black Ops 2
- Scribblenauts Unlimited
- Darksiders 2
- Batman Arkham City Armored Edition
- Ninja Gaiden 3 Razor’s Edge
The 7 indie titles include Trine 2, Toki Tori 2, and Little Inferno. You can find a full list of Wii U indie launch games here. Wii U retail games cost $60, while indie games cost anywhere from $10 to $20.
In the upcoming months, there are many high-profile games to look forward to, including Pikmin 3 and LEGO City Undercover from Nintendo, Rayman Legends from Ubisoft, and Aliens: Colonial Marines from Gearbox.
Wii U bundles
The Wii U will launch in two flavors: the Basic set, and the Deluxe set. While the Deluxe set retails for an additional $50, you get a lot more value for your money.
If you’re looking to pick up Nintendo Land, it will be cheaper to get a Deluxe kit since it includes the game, plus many other goodies. Here’s the full system breakdown:
- Basic set: includes Wii U console, GamePad controller, 8 GB internal flash storage, and all the cables (including HDMI) needed for the console to work. It retails for $299.
- Deluxe set: includes everything from the Basic set, plus 32 GB internal flash storage, a stand for the GamePad, a vertical stand for the console, and a copy of Nintendo Land. It retails for $349.
You should consider which console you are getting, because as of now, the Deluxe kit offers much better value, especially when it comes to the storage. Nintendo has released some details about the Wii U storage options, and revealed that the Basic set will only have about 3 GB of free space for save games, downloads, and more.
Wii U accessories
Nintendo will offer a slew of Wii U accessories, everything from screen protectors for the GamePad, to the Wii U Pro controller. You can check out the full accessory lineup here. But you’ll probably be interested in only a few accessories at launch, which are:
- Wii U pro controller, for games that require a more traditional control scheme (although all launch games will support the GamePad).
- Wiimote + Nun-chuck, for multiplayer games, you’ll need a set of these. Also, if you want to play your old Wii games on the Wii U, you will need a Wiimote and Nun-chucks.
- GamePad accessory set, which includes a screen protector for your GamePad, an extra Wii U Stylus, and a cleaning cloth.
Wii U availability
While Nintendo will have more Wii U consoles in stock than the previous Wii, shortages are still expected. So far over 500,000 consoles have been pre-ordered, and it’s estimated that around 200,000 to 250,000 will be available in regular retail for those who did not pre-order. So if you’re interested in getting a Wii U for Thanksgiving (or even Christmas), you should get one ASAP.
You might be interested in a Wii U midnight launch event to get your console, but so far it looks like only Best Buy stores in the US will have stores open for the midnight launch.
The future…
Things are looking very good in the future for Nintendo’s Wii U. There are over 50 games coming out in the next few months (including the launch lineup), and we at Wii U Daily will be covering all of them, and regular Wii U news.
We’ll continue to bring you guys the latest and greatest Wii U news, updates, videos, rumors, and more, well into the future. As long as the Wii U is out there, we’ll be here reporting. In fact, we’re just getting started…
